


dead-bird

by sydcore



Series: doctor’s orders drabbles [1]
Category: doctor’s orders
Genre: Multi, Original Character - Freeform, Original Story - Freeform, Other, Pining, breanna is probably like? 16 1/2-17?, chip and nyro are 16, chip is still jealous of breanna tho, he hates her, nyro finds out he’s gay and breanna is pissed!, they are pining, theyre still in highschool
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2020-09-07 14:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20310673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydcore/pseuds/sydcore
Summary: Nyro feels unsafe with Breanna’s still presence. Thank god she’s only in two of his classes- Chip’s lucky enough to find that he shares several classes with Nyro, which he uses to help him feel a lot better.Late night playground shenanigans and fluff ensue.- Title inspired by Dead-Bird, by McCafferty





	1. i still remember his eyes on mine

**Author's Note:**

> mentions of child abuse, parental death, trauma, unhealthy relationships! stay safe!

Laying in bed, facing towards the ceiling while moonlight shines into his bedroom. Oh, how emotions tore up teenage boys. He was so torn up about what was going on in his life. He’d already broken up with Breanna, definitely, but that didn’t mean it stopped her from spreading nasty rumors- and oh, the way she talked about his scars. His hair. His body. He didn’t even _ do _anything with her in the beginning, or the end. They’ve been dating for three months, and Nyro avoided her to go to Chip’s house and camp out in his friend’s room.

He was such a nice friend... Chip welcomed him and welcomed him to snack on whatever they had. When he was having a rough day, Chip was rather affectionate. Giving him hugs, wrappin’ him up in a blanket. It made Nyro feel all warm, loved and safe. It was nice to have someone who was there for him, emotionally and.. physically.

They were just friends, right?.. 

…

Right?

I mean, this is just what really, really close friends do. His dad wasn’t around enough for him to know, but judging from how his mother talks about it, Nyro isn’t sure on how relationships work. Do you have to hate your significant other? He sure hates his ex. Kelly always appeared to hate her husband, even going so far as to be okay with the lawyer’s death. That didn’t stop her from making an excuse to treat Nyro terribly.

Maybe his mom is wrong, he thinks to himself. Isn’t love about love? He wants to find a woman that he likes, one he’d feel comfortable with spending the rest of his life next to. However, whenever he thought about it, the thought of Chip came to mind.

He wants to spend his life with Chip. 

… Is this right? Kelly always said it was wrong..

  


Nyro couldn’t sleep that night. His mind was racing, heart tight in his throat, and he went to school on an hour of sleep. When Chip crossed his path with a wide, shining-toothed smile, Nyro’s heart fluttered, and his day just got much, _ much _better. 

“Hey, buddy!” Chip greets him excitedly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and patting his head.- Even if he had to stand on his toes. “I haven’t talked to ya’ all weekend, are you good? Hoowww’s my favorite doctah?” The ginger shakes a fist in a playful manner, arching an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

His face had heated up with a warmth in his chest that he couldn’t describe. This had been going on for years now. Did Chip feel the same?.. They’d been friends since sixth grade, at the very least. Oh gosh..

“Aheh-” Nyro lets out a laugh, a genuine, happy laugh. He pulls the sleeves of his sweater over his hands, beaming from ear to ear. His heart wouldn’t stop beating, especially if he’s so nervous. “I’m good!” That was a blatant lie. “How’s you?” _ Nyro, what the fuck did you even just say? _“I- I mean, how are you?”

“How’s me?” Chip muses, giggling as the corners of his eyes squinch up. “I’m great! Great feelin’ in my chest, bud, I’ve got a feeling today’s gonna be a good one.”

The ginger rubs Nyro’s head, and while leaving his hand on his shoulder, snickers at the look of flusterment on his face. “I’ll see ya in health, yeah?” He sends him a happy little smile, showing a happy tooth gap. Before Nyro could say anything else, his throat tightened up, as he watched his best friend exit down the hallway.

He wished he had held his shoulder longer.

Is that normal?

  


On Nyro’s way down the hallway, he was met with.. ohh, god.. Bright blue hair. He felt an overwhelming amount of anxiety- of _ pure malice _. Of disgust. He felt like he would throw his breakfast up.

“Good morning.” He mutters, as she slows to a stop in front of him. “I have somewhere to be, Bree.”

“Soomewheree to bee?” Breanna fucking Nicholas arches her eyebrow. Her pierced eyebrow. Was it even a real piercing? She wore terrible eyeshadow, like, every day. Smeared eyeliner and sparkly blue eyeshadow. Nyro thought it was gross. “Hah! Be a shame if I janked ya right here, eh, eh eh?” She punches Nyro’s shoulder- the one she knew that would hurt. “Get janked or get wanked, Doom!” 

He was definitely going to throw up.

“You are disgusting.” Nyro’s throat closes up, as he clenches a fist. “Can you get the fuck out of my face and go spread some more rumors ‘bout me, huh?” Biting back, Nyro looks down. He doesn’t like the sight of high, platform boots with bright neon laces.

She’s an eyesore, he thinks.

There are plenty of people he hates. But Breanna.. she was like a bee- no, a _ wasp _ in circus. To think her style only sparked up a year ago! She used to be completely soft hearted, yellow eyeshadow and embroidered bees on her shirt. He felt pressured, peer pressured more specifically. He doesn’t like it, it makes his stomach churn with fear and anxiety. It makes him want to throw up, nausea overcoming him every class he has with Breanna. Thankfully, it was only English.

“Why don’t you just leave me _ alone _? It’s been months.” He sounds exasperated, grumbling- and crosses his arms over his history textbook. 

Breanna takes a good long look at Nyro, glaring him down.. and finally backs up from the man squished against the lockers. She turns her eyes to look at the clock, and grumbles, shoving Nyro against the lockers and continues to march away to her next class.

Why is it that he doesn’t feel attracted to any girls? Especially these? She was considered ‘hot’ and was generally enjoyed by a lot of guys. Nyro doesn’t. Maybe that’s just a matter of personal taste!

Yeah, it was personal taste..

…

That was it. Totally.

That night, Nyro stared at the ceiling again. He looks at his phone, gazing with glossy eyes at the picture of Chip. He had a lot of photos. His heart beat fast. It felt like it was in his throat. He's thinking about health class, sighing as he stares out the window. He can't stop thinking about the way Chip would glance at him every now and then- more frequently than normal. With a smile- that loving smile that made him feel wanted and- _needed._ He smiles..

He shuts his phone off, setting it to the side.

Just a friend. Absolutely.

… Absolutely..

…

Nyro drifts off to sleep later than usual, not after crying a bit. He’s going to have to confront it, soon..

  
  
  



	2. take me to your best friend's house!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of winter break. Nyro can't be brought down, and Chip denies any sort of crush. That's false.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll be adding!!! illustrations!!! eventually. just a heads up

Nyro stands up in the morning, head spinning. He feels light. His mind was foggy with last night’s dream. He doesn’t even want to think about it, he feels very very bad. He rubs his head, staring at the wall.

He can’t even admit it. He wants to ask his mom- but he _can’t_. His mom would literally kill him. Nyro now clutches his head.

It’s Friday. The Friday before winter break. He wasn’t coming back to his own home today, he was heading home later that day with Chip. His parents were out for the fifth time this week, and going on vacation for a week. 

He felt like this was going to be a good week, but he was absolutely not ready to just.. talk to him about this. Nyro _knows _he can trust Chip. He trusts him with his life. Maybe he could tell him..

Maybe.

On the bus, Nyro had zoned out. In the hallway, he zoned out, completely ignoring the whistles from Breanna and the ‘scar-freak’ from her, as well. Any other day he would go home and cry. In health, Chip was _worried. _Nyro never looks this out of it.

“Hey, bud..” Chip lowers his voice, reaching to put a hand on Nyro’s desk. His eyes are soft, solemn expression. It was clear he was worried. “Are you okay? Y’wanna talk about it at lunch?” He arches an eyebrow. “Camp out near the corner and talk?”

This was his chance. This was absolutely the chance to say ‘yes, I want to talk about it.’ It’s so easy to say yes. But it’s also so easy to say no. No, Kelly started ranting this morning and yelled at me. No, Breanna mocked my scars again. But he couldn’t get a lie out- he hates lying to Nyro.

“.. I- yeah, I- I wanna talk about it at lunch.” He feels his throat close up again, glancing at Chip’s hand.. Ah.. he could just.. reach to hold it and feel okay.. 

“That’s okay, I’m here for ya, Ny..” Chip smiles softly. And Nyro feels okay.. it’s really, really nice to have someone to support you.

And to think, Chip was in a similar situation as him. It wasn’t a matter of ‘oh, I am scared of finding out that I’m gay but I probably have a crush on my best friend’. Nyro had no idea what his feelings are. But he _does _know about Chip’s affinity for teeth. He creeped people out enough to remain isolated- but damn, he’s impressive! His knowledge on dentistry was vast, and Nyro definitely admired it. Nyro, himself had enjoyed his fair share of medical information, but he’s got nowhere near as many teeth facts as Chip! He really enjoyed hearing about his friend’s interests- he could listen for hours, and hell, he _would _listen for hours. Chip would talk a lot of the recent thing he’d learned about at sleepovers, and Nyro would listen, chatting, until the chat turned into a small hum, and the small hum turned into a snore.

He got lost in thought again. At least he could manage through health and make it to lunch, opting out of the line to manage over to their usual corner, which he approached with a sigh to wait for Chip.

Chip eventually makes his way towards Nyro, to which he looks up and smiles at his friend. He excitedly sits down- before remembering Nyro’s mood. He looks worried again.

“Alright man, what’s up?” Chip sets his tray on the floor, picking up a piece of pizza. He looks at Nyro with a solemn curiosity, his eyes don’t stray from his friend’s face.

Nyro takes a deep breath, picking at his own food. “There’s like.. there’s something that feels weird-” He begins. “It’s like- normal not to fancy girls, right? Maybe I’m just not into em.” He just sighs again, puffing his cheeks out. “I haven’t liked a single girl ever. I mean, there are nice girls..”

His friend looks at him, eyes soft. There’s something going through his mind that Nyro can’t quite see in his eyes, but there’s.. something.

“It’s weird.” Nyro huffs, running a hand through his hair and shoving a fruit roll-up into his mouth. It was rushed, and nervous. “N-vrmnd, mot importamt.” He mumbled through the gummy, cutting the eye contact with Chip.

Chip doesn’t necessarily respond well to the ‘don’t worry’ bit. “Dude, the fuck? Course it’s important!” He exclaims, crossing an arm over his chest. “You’re my _best friend_, I care a whole ton about ya. So what if you don’t like girls!” He grows quiet, before mumbling softly. “I don’t like ‘em either.”

Nyro looks up.

“I think.. boys are nice! The nice ones at least. There’s always fuckin’ _assholes _out there.” He rolls his eyes. “Fuckin .. bitch Breanna.. Asshole James.” He grumbles, furrowing his eyebrows. “That bastard always tells me to stay away from you! It’s weird. You’re nice and a good person. Some dumb scars shouldn’t matter.” He mumbled again, taking a bite of an orange. “You’re my favorite person.”

Nyro’s face flushes red. _Favorite person_. His heart flutters up into his chest, and up into his throat- he felt like it’d burst out of his chest. Favorite.. _Favorite_.

“...” Nyro stares at the floor, holding a hand up to his mouth, and covering his mouth and nose. His eyes are a bit wide. “Fav- Favorite..?” He feels like he might cry. “I- You’re my favorite, too. You’re- you’re real special to me.” 

Do they hug now?? Do friends hug? Friends hug, right, right.. right. It’d be awkward to lean forward and hug em. He just moved over to sit next to Chip, instead of in front of him, against the wall. 

“Man. You’re my best friend.” Chip wraps an arm around him, shaking him in a loving manner. Nyro felt his heart ache at the term ‘best friend’. God. What’s up with em?

Nyro simply laughs softly, heart racing. “We still goin for the sleepover? I wanna get away from ma.” He rolls his eyes at the thought of his mother. 

“Fuuck yeah dude!” Chris’ eyes light up, and he gives him a thumbs up. “I hate that bitch, let’s get you some fruit, dude.” He beams, letting go of Nyro and digging around in his backpack. “Here, take this.” His friend tosses him a pack of gummies, to which Nyro smiles at. He knows he likes gummies- why did that make him so happy? “We’ve got snacks at home, but if there’s nothin’ ya like we can stop by the gas station and get somethin’ you want.”

Nyro was more than excited for this next week, stomach doing flips. It was always real nice at Chip’s house, always to himself and whatnot. It was safe there. He felt safe whenever Christopher was around- even in the same room. 

A better attitude in his mind, Nyro finishes his lunch up, laughing along with stuff that Chip says. What a funny guy.

The day seemed to drag on and on forever after that. When the final bell rang, Nyro practically jumped out of his seat and threw his backpack on his shoulder. Dodging the big football guys, the occasional edgelord, and the scary loud girls that always scream-laugh with their hot cheetos and hit on him. For the love of god, don’t hit me with your water bottle, it’s happened once before.. Dodging Bea, who tried to trip him and laugh in his face- but he’s in too good of a mood to acknowledge them.

Either way, the day’s over and Nyro was out the door. Chip wasn’t there yet, but Nyro could wait. He sits down on the side of the wall outside the school, watching kids go by. He covers his face, hair sliding down in front of him. 

Finally. That familiar voice. Nyro’s expression lights up as he glances towards the sound, and Chip hops over the wall. He crouches on the top, swinging his blue backpack around to the side.

“Ny! Hey, hey, you wanna chill out here for a while until those big-” Chip furrows his eyebrows, “- uh- big yellow things-- buses!” He had stuttered. Probably nervous.. “Until the buses leave? Or- or we could go to the playground and stay there until’ the elementary schools get out.” 

Nyro kicks his legs, looking up at the overcast clouds. The park sounds nice. It sounds nice with Chip, especially. If he could sit on a swing and just talk to him for hours and hours. … 

“Yeah. That sounds real good, man.” Nyro smiles, looking up and launching himself off the wall. Why’s his heart beating so loud..? It’s confusing. He’s worried about it.

With an excited glance, Chip hops down as well, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. He reaches over and pats Nyro’s shoulder- the good one, the one that’s not all… burnt to a crisp. He keeps it there for a moment, bringing him into an almost-side hug. Nyro felt like his heart might burst. That’s not normal, is it? He can’t tell. He’s always enjoyed stuff like this.

“Thanks, Chipper.” Nyro softly smiles, looking over at Chip. “Let’s get goin’, yeah?”

Christopher nods, ruffling his head and lets go as he does so. With a skip in his step, Chip puts a hand on his backpack straps and turns around as he begins walking. “Let’s go!! Let’s go, let’s go. I’m so fuckin’ happy to be outta this place.”

Nyro, with a wider smile, follows him. He looks up at the sky, the chilly air against his face. He likes the way it feels- he’s always enjoyed it. As he wraps his strap around his shoulder, Nyro jogs to keep up with Chip, until he’s by his side again.

It’s not a long walk to the park. When they get there, Nyro sets his backpack down and steps foot onto the empty swings. The overcast clouds seem to darken, but he doesn’t bother to acknowledge it. Instead, he acknowledges Christopher the most. When Chip sits down on the swing next to him and swivels around to face him. 

“How’s ya day, Ny-Ny?” Chip kicks his legs around, smiling a wide, shining, chipped smile. Nyro thought it was charming.

“I mean, it’s whatever-” Nyro sighs, reaching his hands around the upper chains of the swing. He smiles, his scar scrunching up around his eyes, and the corners of his mouth. “It’s much better knowin’ it’s the last day!” And that I’ll be spending this next week with you.

Chip laughs, nodding as he shoves himself around. “I’m so fuckin’ hyped- dude, I managed to scrounge some money up and get us some good-ass sweets. I know _I’m not _too crazy about sweets, but just in case you need some good preppy stuff!”

Nyro looks really touched by this. He smiles warmly, rubbing the back of his head. “Thanks so much, man- damn, you really thought about this.” He chuckles. “It’s not like we’re dating and whatnot..” … He regrets saying that. Honestly.

“Phf.. yeah.” Chip looks uneased by that statement, puffing his bottom lip out. “Man, I’d rather be nice to my best friend than seem like I’ve got a crush on em. Not like- It’s- it’s not like just cuz’ I’m gay that-”

Nyro blinks at him as he continues on his sputtering rant, and his eyes trail away about half way through. His heart aches.

“Chip, it’s not like that!” He speaks up when his friend stopped stuttering, finally, and runs a hand tiredly through his hair. “I- I didn’t mean to like- offend you. I don’t even know what I offended you ‘bout, dude.”

Sitting down, Nyro swings a bit, huffing out warm breaths. He looks over at Chip, who looks like a shivering plethora of emotions. With a frown, Nyro stands up, and runs a hand through his hair. 

In an effort to help Chip feel better, he suggests a new solution- to go home. “Hey, you cold yet?” He bites the right side of his bottom lip, picking his backpack up.

Chip looks hesitant- always hesitant after a real embarrassing moment. When he stands up, he nods, loosening his tie and rolling his sleeves down. Nyro simply shakes his head and pulls his hoodie off, to which he always wears a turtleneck sweater under. This man feels no heat, apparently. 

“Take it.”

“What?”

“I said take it, dude. You’re cold! You only wear thin shirts, Chip. Take my hood.”

Chip’s face reddens, and he ‘reluctantly’ takes it. He wraps it around himself, relaxing almost instantly.

“It’s cold. We gotta get goin’, aprobado?” Nyro arches an eyebrow, and Chip, after buffering for a minute, nods. He forgot what he meant by ‘aprobado’, though realizes he says that when he’s serious. Most likely, Nyro picked it up from his dad. He did pick up fluent conversational Spanish, as well, though he can’t write or read it very well. It’s more-less a way to keep his father in his life, whether he’s alive or not..

“Yeah- yeah! Yeah..” Chip nods, shuffling next to Nyro. He feels a lot better, and Nyro can see that. The taller boy smiles, patting Chip’s head, to which he lets a huff of playful annoyance out. “Let’s get outta ‘ere.”

As they walk away, down the street, they both go silent. It’s a good silent, a comforting silent. Especially with the warmth they both feel. They’re both happy and content.

Again, just friends.. right.. ... right.


	3. pizza & the back door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chip has a litel idea >:-) and nyro just wants pizza :-(

Letting out a sigh, Nyro drops his backpack next to Chip’s front door. With a smile, Chip closes the door behind them. Nyro had been here enough times to feel at home here, more than he felt at home at his mother's house. In fact, if he had to spend the winter break with Kelly being in his life, he would probably throw a huge ass fit.

Chip rubs his eyes, yawning. He throws his tie on the coat rack almost immediately- but doesn’t take Nyro’s hood off. Nyro hesitates in bringing it up, but decides against it in the end. He feels fuzzy. 

“You got snacks, dude?” Nyro pipes up, pushing his hair up and tying the hair tie on his wrist around it. “I didn’t have much for lunch.”

Chip looks up at the sound of his voice, and nods. “Yeah! Of course, go dig around the kitchen. Mom n’ Dad can just fill it back up in two weeks.” He laughs. “Or we could go by ourselves.”

Nyro doesn’t hesitate in maneuvering through the doorway leading to the kitchen, poking into a cabinet for fruit snacks. It’s where they keep em, it’s always been there!

“Damn, I know you know this, but like-” Nyro takes one out and tosses it to Chip, who had followed him in. “I’m so sick of Kelly’s little household ‘rules’..” He grumbles, rolling his eyes. 

“I  _ know  _ dude, she’s a fuckin’ hypocrite.” Chip unwraps his snack, tearing a piece off and shoving it in his mouth. “That woman takes cigarettes for herself and denies you food past nine. Fuckin’ hell.”

Chip had pulled himself up, kicking his legs against the counter. He looks around the room, until his eyes land on Nyro. He could tell Chip was looking at him, which put a nervous feeling in his chest. Nyro looks down at his snack, sighing softly as he wanders to the island. He takes a seat on one of the high chairs, spinning around to look at Chip as well. 

He still has stuff on his mind.

“So, uh..” Nyro bounces his foot against the footrest of the stool. “What’s the plan. For, y’know,” He makes gestures with his hands. “Tonight? This week?”

“Oh!” His friend’s eyes light up, as he dusts his hands off and tosses the wrapper into the trash. “Movie night, I rented some shit movies this week.” He beams, leaning forward and folding his hands between his legs, which swung off the counter. “We could watch em in the basement if you want!”

Nyro noticed he was wringing his hands.

“Sounds great,- but are we gonna order a pizza or somethin’?”

“Sure are! Pepperoni, yeah?”

Chip hops off the counter.

“Yeah- yup!” Nyro agrees, and on his way out of the kitchen, he tosses his wrapper in the trash. He moves out to the living room, making himself comfortable on the couch and rummaging around for the remote. Who put this thing under the ottoman? That was probably Chip. Ah. Turning the TV on, Nyro pulls his sleeves up and kicks his shoes off.

Chip doesn’t mind. In fact, he comes and joins him, falling onto the couch next to him. He sighs, picking his phone up from the ottoman. He grumbles, shutting the lid and rolling his eyes. “Motherfucker got ‘er hands on my number.” Chip squints, ruffling his own hair as a bit of a nervous tick.

“Which motherfucker?” Nyro pipes up, arching an eyebrow. His stomach churned with anxiety about the name he was about to spill.

“That Brittney chick.” 

“Oh, fuck..” 

Silence falls upon them, aside from the mumbling of the TV and the clicking of Chip’s tongue.

“.. I hate that girl.” Nyro sighs, sinking back into the couch. 

The television glows with the breaking-news-red, tearing both boys’ eyes to the screen. Some kid they never heard of- Carson Robinson- though he was in the area, had gone missing. Nyro felt his heart drop.

“Jeez!” Chip reaches over Nyro for the remote, fumbling to turn it to a different channel. “That’s some sad shit, we don’t want that.”

“Ahah-” Nyro looks down, puffing his bottom lip out. “-yeah.. I’d rather not see that.”

“No, sir!”

…

Nyro fiddles with his hands, sighing. How was he so positive? He admired that, a lot. His cheek flushed a soft red.

Ah, fuck…

They watch the TV for a hot second, to which Chip had taken up several different sitting positions. That guy just can’t sit still. One minute, he’s upside down, and the next five minutes he’s moved onto his stomach while his hand props his head up.

“I’m bored.” The ginger mutters, sitting up and crossing his legs. It was nearly five, now- when was dinner, again? Do they care?

“Upstairs? Should we go upstairs?”

“And study?” Chip arches his eyebrows. “Nah, fuck that. Most that I wanna do is miscellaneous research.” Nyro laughs at this.

“No, no- where the hell am I gonna sleep?” He smiles, sitting forward.

“Oh.” Christopher pauses, standing up and undoing the tie around his neck. “I dunno- I can get you a blanket n’ we could share a bed, probably.”

Share a bed? Nyro purses his lips. That’s one hell of an offer. “Alright, man, that sounds good.” He sends Chip a smile, tugging and folding his turtleneck down. “Isn’t there some houseparty goin’ on a block away? Like, those bees or some shit..”

Chip grumbles. “Bea’s trying to lick Breanna’s boots.” He looks up at Nyro out of the corner of his eyes, shaking his head. “Wanna fuck that up?” With a chuckle, he shakes his head, and starts heading up the stairs. “You’re craaazy man!”

Nyro had started to regret He stops at the top of the stairs, as he looks back at Nyro. “Of course I want to.”

Perfect.

  
  
  


Sometimes, when life gets hard, you have to come uninvited into a houseparty in junior year. Nyro sure as hell doesn’t wanna go without that. Chip wasn’t dressin’ up for it, and the most Nyro does is take some tie from Chip’s drawer. He’s always got really nice stuff.. ah..

Nevermind.

“God, so what’re we gonna do?” Nyro pipes up, as he wraps a scarf around his neck and slides his hands into his pockets. Chip had Nyro’s jacket, hands wrapped up in the sleeves. The ginger looks up, with a smile on his face. 

“We could cut the power. Maybe spill whatever they’ve got- it’s a big house, Ny. We can trash the shit out of it.” There’s mischief lacing his voice, as his blue eyes twinkle with a certain feeling.

He can’t put his finger on it.

As they further approached the houseparty, more cars had come into view. This reminded Nyro of something completely unrelated- he’s still yet to take his drivers test. Oh well. He glances at Chip, who had pulled a small pocket knife out of his pocket to glance at it.

When the hell did he get that?

“We should- uh- head in first.” Nyro glances at the door. “... Through the back door.”

“...” Chip was listening, though keeping his eyes on the other kids entering and leaving the house. “Yes! We should..” he grabs Nyro’s hand. “Come on, then!”

Nyro felt his heart start to race, his face flush and his throat tighten. He grabs Chip’s hand back, tightening his grip to keep his hold. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!!

They turn into the backyard, pushing the gate open and darting around the house. The power box stood out to Nyro- he’d come back here. Silently, he wonders if Breanna’s going to be here, especially since it was Bea’s party. Bea was a quieter girl, someone he used to know a bit more than Breanna. She was, to put it simply, a huge bootlicker. Her brown hair seemed undyed compare to Breanna’s, though she was originally a blonde, and god- she had way too much makeup on each day. 

Bea was a clown in Breanna’s circus.

Once they push open the back door, and pass a couple drunken teenagers on the porch, the music had practically hit them in the face. Nyro recalled why he never liked this stuff- way too loud and smelled way too heavily of alcohol and cigarettes. These lights were brighter colors he’s ever seen. Loud pop-punk music echoed into the backyard.

The smells reminded him of his mom’s house.

Chip seemed excited already. Hand still in Nyro’s, he tugs him towards the snack table. 

Looking at him, he raises his voice just enough to hear him. “Grab as much as you can, then meet me upstairs.” 

Christopher let go of Nyro, reaching for the red solo cups. Plenty of them. Nyro had begun to turn around to go upstairs, however, his plan was quickly paused.

As he turns around, he glances up and over the person standing in front of me.

The colors were almost as bright as the colored lights dancing around him. Blue hair and bright makeup,- an outfit that didn’t match the school’s current dress code.

“Well, lookat who we’ve got here…”

Nyro felt himself choke on his words.


	4. i'd do anything for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nyro finds himself enjoying chips shenanigans. perhaps its out of built up anger.

“What do you think  _ you’re  _ doing, firewood?” Breanna Nicholas speaks up, voice dripping with tension and slurred with the alcohol smell emitting from her.

Nyro struggles to think of something, as he looks behind the girl’s shoulder towards the stairs. Chip..

“Helping myself.” He hums, grabbing for the rice krispies that lay on the table. These could be edibles and he could care less.

“I neveeer saw you as the type of guy to come to partieesss!” She slurs, leaning over to his height. Fuckin five inch platform boots. “Especially youu. You knoow.. I kinda miiiss yoou!!”

She really just repeated herself, and.. hit on him?

Nyro inhales sharply, clenching his teeth as Breanna’s finger comes too close to his chest. He finally snaps, pushing her to the side. He accidentally knocks against several other kids, though he could care less about that. He felt eyes on him- plenty of eyes on him. His heart started to race as Breanna stumbles. Nyro’s eyes dart up the stairs, to Chip, who had watched with his mouth wide open. He sees Nyro, beckoning him after him. 

Nyro, as kids crowded around Breanna, and Bea, who had arrived shortly after, staring at him, makes a break for it. He starts up the stairs in the middle of the entryway. His eyes are wide, and he pushes the door open. He pushes the door closed, locking the lock.

This was someone’s bedroom. Not Bea’s, probably her parents.. Chip had waited for him, something glistening in his hand. Nyro turns to him, panting from racing up the stairs. 

“Good lord…” He breathes out. 

Faintly, Nyro would hear Breanna screech his name. It sent shivers down his spine, as Chip approached him and took his arm.

“Come on, bud- we’ve got some shit to take care of.”

“Are you sure?” Nyro lowers his voice. “I’m quite afraid of them coming up here and-”

“I’ll shank them if they lay a single fucking finger on you, Nyro.”

Looking up, Nyro stares at Chip as he cuts him off. His face had gone red, chest fluttering and stomach churning with a silly feeling. He tries to swallow any fear he previously had, though it was already replaced with another emotion. Chip was definitely serious -- his face was stern, eyebrows furrowed as there’s a lack of a smile. He had taken a step closer to Nyro, who was still pressed up against the door.

“Seriously -- I swear, I’m going to protect you from any of those bastards who hurt you. You’re my  _ best  _ friend.” Chip puts a hand on his shoulder, nodding once.

Nyro’s mouth is slightly agape, as he nods back.

He knows Chip is protective, that’s always been a thing, but.. shank them.. The knife. Oh word.

Softly, Nyro thanks him, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What’s your plan, even?” Nyro asks, still a bit loudly from the noise and music echoing throughout the house.

Christopher twirls the pocket knife he had shown to have, sighing. “Rip some pillows up, tear curtains apart, just set this place -- set this place to hell!”

Nyro thanks him silently for not bringing up house fires.

Either way, the shorter boy gently walks over to the bed, which they laid in the corner of the room, next to a window looking out on the street. Nyro follows him, though instead, while Chip silently tries to figure out the best way to get this done, he looks out the window. Snow had started to fall, and lights from the windows splayed out on the white ground. For the most part, the roof right outside the window wasn’t too covered with ice. Probably the heat from the house. He looks back at Chip, mouth still agape, and his friend begins to stab into the bed and tear a long line into it.

“Sucks to raise a kid like her.” He mutters, chuckling as he repositions the blankets. “You got the punch?”

“Huh?” Nyro didn’t grab punch. He knows Chip did, but he wasn’t.. aware of himself grabbing any. “Oh -- you left it by the floor.”

“Thanks!” Why was he thanking him? “Grab a cup.”

They were definitely nearly filled to the brim. Nyro reaches for one of the four cups, which Chip had so strategically taken up here, and holds them. He just.. waits for Chip to figure out what he wanted to do.  
“Follow me. Leave the door open,” Chip looks back at Nyro, winking. Nyro’s heart flutters. “you’ll see why.”  
Hearts racing, Chip and Nyro lean over the balcony, next to the stairway they had just ran up. Nyro, he could see where his best friend was taking this. Watching over at the people below, they waited until someone familiar was underneath them. It felt like forever, blasting music filling Nyro’s brain with nothing but My Chemical Romance and Mindless Self Indulgence. When he looks at Chip, who seemed incredibly focused and lost in thought at the same time, he stares at him for a moment. Messy hair curled over his forehead and fell in front of his face, blue eyes reflecting the red from below -- Nyro just felt smitten. He _was _smitten. But he couldn’t bring himself to confront it.

Nyro looks back, to the ground below, and waits. He just waits -- until he feels Chip kick his ankle gently as a sign. Long brown hair had come into view, bright blue and red makeup- right next to bright blue hair that Nyro hated so much.

It was Bea and Breanna.

Chip doesn’t hesitate to tilt the two cups of his own over, aiming directly for the two girls. He grins, and Nyro follows suit. He was never the type to do rowdy stuff like this, not until Chip started becoming more and more into getting out into it. He, himself, beams at their reactions.

First, it was Bea, who shrieked and immediately looked up. She screeches with pure, unbridled hatred, while Breanna’s reaction was delayed due to her being  _ far  _ more drunk than Bea. 

“CHRISTOPHER!” One of them shouted, at the top of their lungs. It seemed to blend into the party, no one was paying attention at this point.

Chip was already dragging Nyro away as they looked up, and Nyro had no choice but to follow him. He led Nyro back to the room, slamming the door and pushing the end table up against it.

“They better not fuckin’ follow us -- come on!”

Christopher grabs Nyro’s hand, who’s panting with adrenaline. They rush towards the window, and Chip pushes it up from the bottom. Only guessing what Chip’s plan was, Nyro kicks the screen out of the window and climbs out with very little hesitation. Chip follows suit.

“Great job, buddy!” Chip praises him with pure joy, laughing. He holds onto the roof for dear life, and Nyro struggles not to slip. “But, you gotta be careful -- head ‘round back, okay? Follow me.” He was clearly taking initiative, and Nyro was okay with that.

Nyro’s boots grab onto a couple shingles at a time, as he grabs onto every pipe he could hold to keep himself up. They had only just gotten around the side, when Chip really just said ‘fuck it’. The aspiring dentist looks at Nyro, furrowing his eyebrows.

“We’ve gotta jump.”

“You crazy or some shit?”

Something scraped behind the two. It sounded like it was coming from the window they had just kicked through. Voices could be heard, and easily identified as a drunk Breanna.  
“I’m not crazy, you have to trust me!” Chip grabs Nyro’s hand, to which Nyro had glanced back to where they came. His heart just started beating even faster. “Come on, man, on the count of three.”

“One --” Nyro begins, just accepting the fact that he’s probably going to be freezing and covered in wet grass.

“Two!” Chip looks at him, then back at the ground- it wasn’t too far, considering this was a lower section of the roof.

“Three!” They both finish it off, and slide right off the roof.

The two boys hit the ground with a thud and an ‘oof’, scrambling to their feet. Nyro dusts snow and grass off of himself, shivering, as Chip leaps to his feet. He cheers, beaming from ear to ear, and doesn’t wait for Nyro to steady himself as he starts to pull him away.

Racing towards the sidewalk, Chris ushers him and pushes him to the next house down. And then the next. And the next. Until the music was barely there anymore and they were both out of breath.

“HOLY shit.”

Chip looks at Nyro, panting hot breath out into water vapor. 

“Holy shit!” Nyro repeats himself, grasping his head, as a smile finally sneaks its way onto his face. This was so much -- this was almost too much adrenaline! He laughs, grabbing Chip’s hands and pulling him into a hug.

Chip laughs along with him, and Nyro buries his head into his shoulder. Damn, this is .. he feels  _ high  _ right now.

“That was incredible!” Chip exclaims, a blushy red spread across his cheeks. “Look at you! And  _ you  _ say that you aren’t brave…”

That just fills Nyro with pride. Happily, he pulls away, sighing. 

“Y -- yeah, but I’m not immune to the cold!..”  _ That’s cheesy. Why’d you say that? _ Nyro blushes.

Rolling his eyes, “well,  _ alright _ . Get goin, I’ll set things up when we get home.” Christopher chuckles, grabbing onto Nyro’s arm and just.. leaning onto him. And beginning to walk. It feels good to cause trouble onto someone he hated so much -- to someone they both hate so much.. 

Passing under a few more streetlights, they approach Chip’s front door. Nyro had taken into account that Chip was  _ shivering _ . A jacket wasn’t enough for 20 degree weather, he notes. Mindlessly, he shrugs his heavier coat off and drapes it over Chip’s shoulders. Neither of them say a thing.. just bros helping bros, right? Right?

Nyro pushes the door open, tossing Chip’s keys back underneath the welcome mat. He sighs, still smiling ear to ear. Wow… that was incredible. He can’t get his mind off of it.

It felt like it went by fast, though, eleven o’ clock is really fucking late. And once Nyro gets inside, tiredness finally falls over him and he slumps, rubbing his eyes. Chip also looked like he had fallen to the sleepy bitch disease. He acts a bit different when he’s tired, really. 

“I’m gonna… uh.. get the stuff together.” He sighs, smiling at Nyro, before marching up the stairs. Nyro didn’t follow, but instead, smiled, and made a beeline for the kitchen. Nyro.. didn’t end up eating that rice krispie. He dropped it on his way up the stairs. So, instead, he’s picking through the cabinets, rubbing his eyes, before settling on a classic..  _ Pop Tart _ . Amazing. Great.

He’s not in the mood for it, but that’s mostly for how he felt. His heart felt high and he couldn’t stop smiling -- he just doesn’t understand. He doesn’t want to feel this way, and he hadn’t felt this way until -- oh lord, until two years ago. It started two years ago and it hadn’t gone away, it just got worse.

… He’s going to ask Chip.

After marching up the stairs, Nyro knocks on the doorframe. It doesn’t take longer than a second for Chip to respond, to which he slides into the room and sits himself down on the freshly made bed.

Funny.. he doesn’t usually make his bed.

Nyro shuffles his boots off, before crossing his legs and folding his legs up underneath him.

Chip had taken refuge in the connected bathroom to change, though, so Nyro figured, why not just.. change. He hadn’t packed clothes, as he already stores some here. It’s just a matter of how unpredictable Kelly is at this point. She could be fine one moment and lash out the next — Nyro’s gotten good at climbing trees at this point.

Thankfully, tank tops and sweatpants always came in handy to sleep in. Not flattering, but it sure as hell worked.

Nyro took it upon himself to lay down, rubbing his eyes as he waited for Chip — he always brushed his teeth.. a bit over the minute mark. The sound of the sink finally turned off, and Chip came waltzing out of the bathroom and bouncing onto the bed. He had completely forgotten about the snack- he didn’t care anymore. Despite there still being a little bit of.. sinking feeling in his stomach, there was definitely no silence, but laughter upon giggles as Nyro and Chip joked softly.

“You’re gonna have to get another blanket if you’re so  _ selfish _ !” Nyro exclaims, as he tugs the blanket back equally above them. Only, Chip rolls his eyes and rolls the opposite way, closer to Nyro.

Eventually, he settles.

“Fine.” 

Looking at him, Nyro could still see a playful, yet sleepy smile on Chip’s face.

… 

… 

… 

Christopher had begun to fall asleep, though the other was still wide awake with thought. What was he feeling? Why did he like it so much? Why did he hate it so much? 

“Chip — can I ask you something?” Nyro eventually blurts out into the silence. No going back now, he inhales.

A mumbled, ‘yeah man’ signaled Nyro to continue.

“So.. you’re gay, right? That’s like — a perfectly acceptable thing.. right? Is it bad to feel that way towards- uh, you know, guys?” Nyro was sweating. He fiddled with his fingers, heart pounding. He looks more nervous than ever. “It’s.. it’s why I broke up with Breanna. Ah — one of the reasons why!.. I just.. don’t feel right with girls n’..”

Nyro feels a tired hand on his arm, and when he looks down, Chip is smiling sleepily at him.

“Yeah … it’s okay to be gay.” It comes out as a half yawn. “So what if I like the stick, who cares! Only me and my boyfriend..” 

The ginger ends up wrapping his arms around Nyro’s arm, half asleep at this point. Nyro had taken note of this — and was absolutely  _ losing his mind _ . 

_ OH my god. Oh my god, I can’t move, I don’t want to move, is it going to be weird if I hug him? Would it be weird if I held him? He’s so cute… shut the fuck up, you can’t think he’s cute, he’s your friend and that’s weird. No, it can’t be weird, though… It can! _

Nyro’s breath had started to shake, as he looks up at the ceiling.. Oh my god..

He takes whatever risk he could, and wraps an arm around Chip in return. The shorter one, still half asleep, snuggles up closer after Nyro moves his arm around Chip. He wraps his arm around Nyro’s chest instead, leaning his head on his shoulder. A smile had crossed Christopher’s face, as his Nyro starts to relax.

… Isn’t this..  _ not _ something friends do?

Nyro figures out that he.. wants more than this. It was always hard to explain those thoughts, but at this point, he was lucky to be able to pinpoint them. The cry-hold, the hugging-a-bit-too-long, the hand holding, the arm grabbing.. how touchy Chip was with him and no one else. It made Nyro feel special, and he wanted to keep feeling special. He wants to hold Chip closer, to — to — … 

He feels weird for having all of these thoughts. It feels overwhelming to him. It feels overwhelming to suddenly think about kissing your best friend and pulling him closer and — … !!!

Nyro wraps a free hand around his eyes, pursing his lips as he begins to cry softly, and silently.

This is so strange. It’s almost too much…

Love? Is this it? Is this what Kelly hated so much about his dad? Is this what made Kelly set the fire? This can’t be! That was hatred! The opposite!! But still.. is this love?

_ Opening his eyes, Nyro had noticed a lack of weight on his chest. The bed felt empty. He glances around, sitting up in bed. Chip was nowhere to be seen… where was he? He misses him, already. Nyro swings his legs over the bed, sniffling.  _

_ The smell of food from the hallway had drawn him to the door, but at closer glance, small, dark grey clouds had begun to linger. Nyro furrows his eyebrows, but reaches for the doorknob anyway — and he jumps when his palm sizzles against the metal. It burns, and burning means fire, and fire means death. _

_ Nyro finally saw the smoke, and began to step back and stumble over the ottoman at the end of Chip’s bed. He scrambles to his feet, looking for the window as pure panic fills his chest. He can’t breathe, it’s hard to breathe. _

_ “CHIP!” He screams, voice shrill and fearful. His dark eyes were wide, and he desperately moves dark brown hair away from his face. “CHRISTOPHER!” _

_ Things had gotten worse. The door had caught aflame, as sparks of fire begin to fly towards the dresser, closet, and the rug. _

_ Fighting the fear paralysis, Nyro reaches for the window, and tugs on the frame to try and open it. He pushes, pulls, tugs and nudges, but nothing seems to break it open. His fingers grabbed at the locks, which moved perfectly fine, but whether or not it was open or closed, the window wouldn’t budge.  _

_ Nyro starts to sob, hiccuping and panting for breath as the feeling of smoke and fire gets closer and closer. The heat had gotten to his skin, and it feels almost liquidy to him. He can’t breathe, he can’t breathe — he’s going to die — he — _

_ “Chi-ip..” He finally breaks down onto his knees, sobbing into his melting hands.  _

_ “Nyro —” _

Hands.. chilly hands. Smaller hands.. on his arm and shoulders.. shoulders that felt cold… 

“ _ Nyro _ , come on, man!...” 

The voice of Christopher had awoken Nyro into the real world. His eyes opened, and he sits up almost immediately. He pats his chest, his cheek, his hair, his arms… He looks at Chip, starting to tear up and let tears out. 

“Are you okay, holy shit?” Chip grabs his hands, then grabs his shoulders. “Speak to me, dude — you were mumbling n’ cryin’ n’ shit…”

He looks genuinely concerned. His blue eyes were teary, and eyebrows furrowed. Chip never looks this serious, unless something else happens. Nyro just grabs onto Chip, wrapping his arms around him as he starts to sob and sob. 

There was nothing to trigger that nightmare. Why did it happen? Why does it feel so real? He hates it. He hates fire so much. 

“I hate her, Chip, I hate her so damn mu-uch… !” Nyro wails into his shoulder, grabbing the back of his shirt in desperation to feel grounded. “It was so hot, it — the fire — your room — you — “

“I’m here. I’m here now.” Chip whispers, rubbing Nyro’s back to try and get it across to him. He  _ is _ here. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, man…” 

Gasping for breath, Nyro inhales sharply. “You weren’t there — I didn’t know where you were — I was so scared you were dead — and — I —” Nyro hiccups, before letting out a loud sob. “I ca-an’t lose yo-o-ou..!!”

Chip was taken aback — this seemed so much worse than previous times. Nyro was sobbing, nearly hyperventilating… As Chip’s expression wavers back from concern to sadness, he holds onto Nyro tighter than he previously had been. He clings onto the other’s shirt, palms pressing against his back. Nyro’s tears had almost brought  _ him  _ to tears… ah… 

It was still dark. Nyro would tell it was still dark. He could see the outline of Chip’s bed, the moonlight shining through the window. … He could feel the warmth from Chip, the warmth from the air conditioning, the fabric of the shirt and sheet underneath him … Warmth from Chip. Not from fire. The smell was toothpaste-ish minty maybe, not smokey… 

Beginning with shorter inhales, Nyro attempts to breathe deeply. He pats Chip, but doesn’t let go — he just wants to ground himself. 

“It’s okay…” He hears Chip hum. “I’m still here, I’m not goin’ anywhere, buddy…”

It took him a little over two minutes to finally calm all the way down. When it’s over, he just leans as dead weight against Chip. The other boy continues to hold him up for a few moments, before letting go and setting him back against the bed. He’s so fucking tired — Nyro stares at the ceiling, eyes lazy, as Chip lays down next to him. He looks at Nyro, and Nyro slowly looks back, then away.

“I’m sorry —”

“No, it’s okay. You’re okay…” Chip whispers, grabbing at Nyro’s hands. “Trauma is a shit thing and I hate it. I’m sorry that  _ you  _ experienced that…”

With that, Nyro hugs him, shaking as he leans onto him. “I — I love ya… You’re too nice to me…”

Arms wrapped around his shoulders, Chip sniffles.

“I love ya too, Ny…”


End file.
